Apple is limiting NFC to Apple Pay and restricting developer access

Those of you who have been waiting for the iPhone to include NFC are likely thrilled that it’s a feature that’s going to be included in the iPhone 6, and quite rightly. There’s only one problem, though. It’s going to be restricted to Apple Pay, and developers are only going to have limited access to the tech.

According to Cult of Mac, an Apple spokesperson has said that access to NFC APIs would not be available for third party developers any time this year, meaning that the tech is a dedicated payments solution and can’t be used for any other features that NFC might be used for. This is likely Apple taking its time with NFC in order to ensure that the system is secure, and that Apple Pay is safe to use.

While phones from competing manufacturers, like Samsung, often use NFC for device pairing, this is unlikely to be happening with Apple products anytime soon. Though with iBeacon that’s not really an issue. The problem is that Apple has effectively monopolised the mobile payment options available to iPhone 6 users. If NFC is restricted to Apple Pay, then it means people will not be able to use other mobile payment systems like PayPal or Google Wallet.

While it’s likely that other NFC-enabled services will eventually come to iPhones, it does mean that iPhone users will be unable to use the tech to its full potential, and are stuck using services that Apple says they can use.

Want to read more? Here’s our coverage of the recent Apple announcements, including everything you need to know about Apple’s ‘phablet’, the iPhone 6 Plus, and smartwatches buying guide, or if you’re sick of Apple completely, here’s our rundown of our 14 favourite dating apps, from Tinder to eHarmony.